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I've found a great piece of land in Chestnut Ridge to build a dream home for my family. What are the pros and cons of living there?
From what I've read, the public schools are not that great, but crime rate is low. Is this true? Regarding schools, I think the land I am interested in is in the Ramapo school district, but would love information on all school districts serving Chestnut Ridge and how they compare. Regarding crime, I had a coworker once who lived there and her neighbor was murdered in his own home. Ever since then I've had a negative image of the town, but everything I've read online says there is little crime there. I am particularly interested in the crime rate there because the land I am considering is rather secluded with trees all around, and don't know if there are crazy people out there that may wander into the property.
I love how it is right off the Garden State Pkwy. What's the best way to commute to NYC and how long does the commute take? I've looked up trains in the NJ Transit Pascack Valley train line but they seem rather slow... I think driving in would be the best bet but wanted to know what other options are out there. Any bus lines that drive through town?
Is there a supermarket/shopping in town? I know the Palisades Mall is nearby, but wondering about convenience of day to day stuff... groceries, post office, dry cleaners, gas, etc.
Lastly, it seems property taxes there are ridiculously low for such a prime location right on the NJ border. What's the reason for this? Is it that the town doesn't spend much on schools?
I would appreciate any other feedback on the town as well.
My family has lived in Chestnut Ridge and Spring Valley since 1982. Chestnut Ridge was annexed from Spring Valley in the late 80's. They share the same p.o. in most areas. In respect to the crime issue, check out bestplace.net for their statistical account on crime in Chestnut Ridge. Compare it to Pearl River, Suffern, Piermont, and Monsey NY. All these towns venture on the NJ border. Check out PSK12.com for school rankings.
Chestnut Ridge is a lovely place to make home, in my opinion. It's awesome that the commute to NJ is easier than say Stony Point, Pomona or New City. The commute to NYC is also easy - if the buses are on strike {like now}, than you can take NJ transit. The train from Spring Valley Bus terminal is exactly 45 minutes to Secaucus and 15-30 minutes shuttle to NYC depending on arrival of the Path. The train is clean, secured with video cams and an occasional police officers. The ticket people are professional. Trust me if you drive into NYC, it is easier to just take the train. I can count on the train getting me there, not necessarily the traffic. Plus its only 7.75 to get to NYC, including the transfer... You can't pay that to cross the bridges or the tunnels. Plus the cost of gas, traffic and stress... Mass transit is the way to go.
The only bus I know that cross CR is the Red and Tan. 11a to 11c. They travel route 45.
Depending on where you are in CR, you can easily drive to Pearl River for your groceries or travel into Woodcliff lake. Don't even think about paying for NY gas prices b/c Jersey is always cheaper.
Why is that Spring Valley gets such a bad name? I'm looking to move to Rockland and just amazed at some of the great deals they have in condos in SV. But people tell me to stay away from there. At this point, I have no kids, just my wife and I. I've also heard that Chestnut Ridge is getting some of that SV infamy recently. What's your opinion.
Yeah, do that, because I've been there and it didn't seem to be too bad to me. It is more diverse than a lot of parts of Rockland though. Nyack and the North Rockland(especially the Haverstraws) areas have a high amount of "diversity" too.
If I had children of school age...I would not move into Chestnut Ridge if you gave me the house......
The area of Chestnut Ridge in it's self is lovely...most homes on 1/2 to 3/4 acre or more...most homes are well maintained...and yes...the commute to NYC is wonderful...but that is about it...Chestnut Ridge formed it's own village in the hopes or removing itself from Spring Valley...unfortunately all that did was increase the property taxes for residents...they still share the same school system......which if you review my other post regarding Chestnut Ridge and review the post on the High Schools in East Ramapo you will see how they compare with other schools in the area...
Diversity......that looks/sounds great in books....but when you have to live it because you bought in the wrong area...it really Ducks......so do yourself a favor...wait till school starts and visit the two high schools in East Ramapo....then tell me you want to move into that school system...and be aware....the towns surrounding Chestnut Ridge have some areas that are within the East Ramapo School system...so when you are looking...make sure you find out what school system the house is located in.....and the BOTTOM LINE....If I had children of school age I would not live in Chestnut Ridge if you gave me the house...
Just wanted to ask you about the taxes, you said they are low? What do you consider Low? And the taxes that are on the property now that you are looking to purchase will not be the same once your home is built, you know that right?
You should def drive around the area on week day and weekend this will give you insight to the community and also what is available with shopping etc Good Luck to you
acip, yes, I know the taxes won't be the same now after the home is built! When I said the taxes are low, I was comparing houses in the same neighborhood of the same size I plan to build... The taxes were much lower than the taxes on comparable homes in certain areas of Rockland and Orange Counties, such as Goshen, the Nyacks, Upper Grandview, etc., but then again, I guess those places are much more appealing to some people.
Regarding the commute, I currently live in Chester in Orange County and it only takes an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Midtown in the morning on the express Shortline bus. One of the main reasons we are moving to Rockland County is to decrease commuting time, but it seems from the responses that any form of public transportation will take just as long, if not longer... even though Chestnut Ridge is 30+ miles closer to the city than Chester. Is it safe to assume the best option is to just drive (or carpool) if commuting time is the main concern? I know driving will be much more stressful and expensive with gas, tolls, and of course, NYC parking, but I'm sure there are plenty of people that carpool in that area so these effects will be minimizes. Or aren't there any express commuter buses that go straight? I drove once from Chestnut Ridge to the Lincoln Tunnel in 30 minutes, so I guess the public transportation (buses and trains) just make a lot of stops for the commute to be over an hour. Plus, the train will only take me to Penn Station, and I am looking for a way to get to the Port Authority or East Side of Manhattan.
I do not have any problems with "diversity" and it sickens me to read all the hateful comments on diversity in other threads about this area.
As for the schools, I don't plan on sending my son to public schools, and I'm hoping to live in this house for the long-term (resale value is not of concern), so do I really have to worry so much about how good, or in this case it seems, how bad, the school district is?
you can take the Coach shortline buses straight to the Port Authority. It will take 45 mins to an hour. The coach bus can be picked up in Hillcrest or Suffern, those are the two stops closest to Chestnut Ridge. Suffern is probably an easier ride cause you can take the thruway to suffern. If you google Coach USA Shortline you can get all the info on routes online.
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Bottom line!!!
...
...that looks/sounds great in books....but when you have to live it because you bought in the wrong area...it really Ducks...
...so do yourself a favor...wait till school starts and visit the two high schools in East Ramapo....then tell me you want to move into that school system...and be aware....the towns surrounding Chestnut Ridge have some areas that are within the East Ramapo School system...so when you are looking...make sure you find out what school system the house is located in.....and the BOTTOM LINE....If I had children of school age I would not live in Chestnut Ridge if you gave me the house...
